STR Partners

Last week, Mount Prospect School District 57 celebrated the official groundbreaking of the new STR-designed addition at Westbrook School for Young Learners.

In preparation for the day, each student painted a rock to mark their own piece of the project. "When you build a building, you put pieces together to make something bigger. All of you are helping build the new part of our school," Principal Vignocchi remarked, explaining to the students that their rocks will be laid in the foundation of the new two-story addition.

Special thanks to Mount Prospect Mayor Paul Hoefert for attending the event, and to everyone who helped make the day special.

Architect: STR Partners LLC
CM: Nicholas & Associates
Civil: Eriksson Engineering Associates
Structural: C.E. Anderson & Associates
MEP: 20/10 Engineering Group
Building Envelope: STR-SEG LLC

Please join us for "Foundations for the Future: Technical Tour of a Mass Timber & Geothermal Preschool," organized by Illinois Green Alliance and hosted at Skokie School District 68's new Early Childhood Center.

Designed by STR, the 18,000-sf facility is heated and cooled entirely by an all-electric ground-source heat pump system, supported by 20 geothermal wells designed for expansion to eventually serve the adjacent junior high school. The project also incorporates a partial mass timber structure and biophilic design principles alongside a planned 60kW rooftop solar array.

STR Senior Principal Jennifer Costanzo will join District 68 Superintendent Scott M. Grens, Ed.D. and design team members from 20/10 Engineering Group and ML Structural to discuss the building's performance and the district's continued path toward decarbonization and climate resilience.

Date: October 9, 2026, 12:00 p.m. CST

Location: Skokie Early Childhood Center, 9350 Kenton Ave, Skokie, IL 60076

Cost: $10

Registration: https://lnkd.in/gazFmpuP

Construction update! This week marked a special milestone at Mount Prospect School District 57's Westbrook: a beam signed with handprints from students was lifted into place as the first steel columns and roof structure began taking shape. The crane is now on site, setting the stage for the new two-story addition that STR designed for the district's young learners.

Architect: STR Partners LLC
CM: Nicholas & Associates, Inc.
Civil: Eriksson Engineering Associates, Ltd.
Structural: CE Anderson & Associates, PC
MEP: 20/10 Engineering Group
Building Envelope: STR-SEG

We are proud to celebrate the ribbon cutting for Morton Grove SD 70's new early childhood and admin. offices addition! The two-story addition adds 8 new pre-kindergarten classrooms and a fresh home for district administration. Congratulations to the whole team!

Architect: STR Partners LLC
CM: Nicholas & Associates, Inc.
MEP/FP: CS2 Design Group LLC
Civil: Eriksson Engineering Associates
Structural: CE Anderson & Associates
Roofing & Building Envelope: STR-SEG LLC

It's officially open! Skokie SD 68 cut the ribbon on its new Early Childhood Center (ECC) last week. Designed as an 18,000-sf addition to Old Orchard Junior High, the ECC includes 7 classrooms with adjoining sensory rooms, a student commons, a gross motor/multipurpose room, and a dedicated STEM/maker’s space for the district's youngest learners. Congratulations to the district on opening this incredible new chapter for early learning!

Architect: STR Partners LLC
Construction Manager: Nicholas & Associates, Inc.
Civil Engineer: Eriksson Engineering Associates
Structural Engineer: ML Structural PLLC
MEP/FP Engineer: 20/10 Engineering Group

Finishing touches are being made on Morton Grove School District 70 - Park View School's new Pre-K and Admin. Office addition in Morton Grove.

The project brings dedicated new space for the district's youngest learners, alongside an updated administrative office. A ribbon cutting is planned for August, just ahead of the new school year.

Architect: STR Partners LLC
CM: Nicholas & Associates, Inc.
Civil: Eriksson Engineering Associates
Strutural: CE Anderson & Associates
MEP: CS2 Design Group LLC
Roofing: STR-SEG LLC

STR is celebrating two promotions!

Sandy Steinau-Weber and Skylar Moran are officially our newest Senior Project Managers. And if you’ve worked with either of them, you already know why.

Sandy’s been at STR for 11 years, her project work spanning new school construction, additions, and smaller renovations. A licensed architect with a rare depth of both technical and client-facing expertise, Sandy has also been instrumental to the success of our internal BIM program.

Skylar is a licensed architect who’s spent the last decade at STR leading high school expansion and renovation projects, his work ranging broadly from natatoriums to science labs. He also teaches at IIT on the side, inspiring and training the next generation of architects.

Congratulations to you both. STR and our clients are lucky to have you!

Most kids learn about Frank Lloyd Wright from a textbook. These La Grange School District 102 sixth graders learned about him from inside one of his homes. STR Senior Principal Mike Henderson opened his Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home to Cossitt Elementary students ahead of their annual neighborhood architecture walk.

We are heartbroken to announce the passing of STR team member, Alan J. Armbrust. As STR's Executive Manager for more than 16 years, Alan was invaluable to our firm, serving as both a gifted architect and a marketing connoisseur. A reliable and steady presence in the office, Alan brought a charm, wit, and humor to our team that will be hard to replace.

Alan was an artist. Though never one to brag about his talent, he could hand draw with startling accuracy. And man, he loved his paper, his desk serving as a testament to that love. Typos were Alan's trademark, and if you ever received an email from him, you could hear his voice when you read it.

It seems fitting that one of Alan's last projects was a replacement for the very middle school he attended as a young student in Mount Prospect. He would have loved to see the doors open on the new space, and for that, we feel sorrow.

Rest in peace, our friend. We feel your loss deeply. To honor Alan's legacy as a mentor, we have made a donation to the Architects Foundation Student Loan Relief Grant program.

Visitation is Sunday, May 17, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Friedrichs Funeral Home, 320 West Central Road (at Northwest Highway) in Mount Prospect. More information about his funeral services are found here: https://lnkd.in/ga4nhEkS

Obituary information for Alan J. Armbrust View Alan J. Armbrust's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.

From drawings to reality! Our team visited the Early Childhood Center addition at Old Orchard Junior High School in Skokie SD 68 today, and it was something to see. Wood ceilings, a brick accent wall, and a softly curved corridor make up this 18,000-sf addition, which will bring 7 classrooms with adjoining sensory rooms, a student commons, STEM and maker spaces, a gross motor room, and more to the district’s pre-kindergarten program.

Architect: STR Partners LLC
Construction Manager: Nicholas & Associates, Inc.
Civil Engineer: Eriksson Engineering Associates
Structural Engineer: ML Structural PLCC
MEP/FP Engineer: 20/10 Engineering Group